Immigration agent killings raise concerns over potential US government shutdown

US Congress Faces Deadline to Pass Spending Package Amid Immigration Controversy

A government shutdown is looming as the US Congress struggles to pass a new spending package by Friday’s deadline. The impasse has emerged amid public outcry over the latest shooting death resulting from President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement drive. On Saturday, US citizen Alex Pretti was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, by immigration agents.

In response to the incident, Democrats have drawn a line and pledged to approve no funding increases for the Department of Homeland Security unless it agrees to place guardrails on its use of force. The Senate has until midnight Friday to find a solution. Republicans will need to reach a 60-vote threshold in the 100-seat Senate to pass the funding legislation, currently controlled by 53 seats.

The spending package includes six separate bills to fund various federal departments and agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Trump’s deportation drive. The legislation has been linked to a $1.2 trillion package passed by the US House of Representatives last week. Without funding, non-essential services in those departments would grind to a halt.

The package includes additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its enforcement budget, totaling $400m more than previously allocated. Rights advocates have condemned the current funding bill for providing further funding to ICE. Despite this, some Democrats have broken with their party to vote in favor of the spending package.

This latest budget fight comes less than three months after a record-breaking 43-day-long government shutdown ended on November 12, 2025. Polls show that such disruptions are widely unpopular across the political spectrum. The Senate is bracing for a similar fracture among its members as the deadline approaches.

Source: Al Jazeera